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| Dancehall artist, Shatta Wale |
When I heard repeated playbacks of the Ghana Football Association
(GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi’s remarks to that effect, I shook my head in disbelief.
Not that the FA President couldn’t say that; he could since he’s human and
therefore susceptible to mistakes.
But seriously speaking, the honourable Nyantakyi hit
quite below expectation. I wouldn’t stretch the argument to the point that he virtually
endorsed fornication with that remark.
He didn’t. Attempts to make it look like Nyantakyi did that
are disrespectful to say the least.
Indeed, the domestic league is faced with a myriad of
problems – one of which undeniably relates to spectating. People don’t watch domestic
league matches. In my view, this is attributable to a number of factors and
these factors will not be eliminated or erased by musicians and the presence of
sultry ladies.
The Answer
First, let’s tackle the weak structures with which clubs
in Ghana operate. It’s a fact that, majority of our clubs are not
administratively organised. Most of them lack the financial wherewithal to do
things. They as well don’t have qualified personnel to execute the basic
development tasks at the bases.
The GFA’s Technical Director, Oti Akenteng recently in an
interview with Asempa Sports stressed the essence of the club licensing and how
it would help give our domestic football positive outlook. The crux of Coach Oti
Akenteng’s argument was that, until our clubs were properly administered on all
levels, the public’s confidence in them will still be low.
The world is changing so fast. Many enchanting things are
vigorously competing and seeking the attention of people including football
fans. Emotional love or affinity to clubs isn’t enough to establish whether or
not people will joyfully run to league venues to watch their teams.
Today, it takes more than radio appeals to fill the
stadium. People want to see if their clubs have policies that guide them. They want
to know if their clubs have short, medium or long plans that can ensure success
on and off the field while bringing them direct or indirect gains.
For instance, how clubs in Ghana have defined policy
direction or development plans well-explained to their supporters? How many
adhere to that policy direction? Make no mistake, people want to see more than
what they have been used to before they commit themselves to properly
supporting clubs or going to the stadium.
Thus where people aren’t sure of what the true state of
affairs at their clubs and what lies ahead, no group of lovely ladies or
popular musicians can lure them to the stadium. Let’s just get the management
of our clubs right by trying to do basic things like setting up identifiable
secretariats; employing qualified personnel to man these secretariats, coming
out with development plans, building standard training pitches, gymnasium, etc.
Let’s simply give our clubs professional outlook in all
our dealings and see if the spectators’ apathy won’t change. That aside, the FA
and its affiliate bodies that manage the league ought to get things
straightened. In the absence of a reliable league calendar – where fans have no
set definitive idea when the league is to start and end for example, won’t that
affect enthusiasm in the league?
I concede that, negative media commentary on our league has
contributed to the public’s declining confidence in the league. People have
wrong notions; forceful misconceptions and preconceived thoughts that,
everything in the domestic league is substandard and this, often fueled by misguided
reports makes things worse.
My conclusion is that, there are crucial roles to be
played by clubs to get fans to follow them from their training grounds to the
stadium, the same way as the GFA and the media have got their duties, which
they must not renege on. On the part of GFA, Mr. President, it doesn’t include inviting
musicians or sweet ladies to lure men. It’s about packaging the league well.
Let’s get to that and the waning interest will rise again.
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